This Critical Issue was researched and written by Beth Buchler, M.A., educational
consultant and director of New-Learning Educational Services. She consults for
schools, districts, educational agencies, and organizations as well as software
companies. She also is on special teaching assignment with Argonne National
Labs.

ISSUE:
This Critical Issue focuses on teachers as students. It looks at their own independent
learning traits in light of today's imperative that they both foster
lifelong learners in their classrooms as well as become lifelong learners
themselves (Bernard-Powers et al., 2000).

Independent learners are students who are responsible for their own learning:
They take charge and are self-regulated. Such students are one of the critical
indicators of any engaged learning environment (Jones, Valdez, Nowakowski, &
Rasmussen, 1995).

As the learning community changes, rethinking the
traditional traits within this evolving community is important. Teachers need
time and support to re-examine, redefine, and reabsorb what it means today to
be a student who is responsible, who takes charge, and who self-regulates in
the context of today's changing learning environment. This rethinking process
may help teachers both foster lifelong learning in their students as well as
realize the goal themselves.

This Critical Issue begins with a look at the trend toward creating new
learning organizations. It then identifies three learner challenges
to realizing such an engaged learning community populated by independent learners.
These challenges include:

Overcoming learned behaviors

Fostering motivation

Aligning pedagogy

Finally, it outlines the relevance of two learning mechanismsprofessional
development and technologymeeting those learning challenges.

OVERVIEW:
Just as independent learners inspire an engaged and effective classroom, teachers
who are themselves independent learners inspire vital and engaged learning communities.
Classroom teachers have both an easier and enjoyable time teaching when their
students are responsible: when students take charge and are self-regulating.
But are teachers mirroring the behavior that they try to foster in their students?
Are teachers becoming the independent learners they try to develop in their
classrooms? If not, how will they address the challenge of lifelong learning
for their students and for themselves?

Growing emphasis on lifelong learning is supported by research and evidenced
by several current factors. Research has effectively documented the connection
between high quality teachers and improved student performance. Research continues
to expand the definition of what that means. What makes a quality teacher? For
instance, the Teacher
Quality Collaborative's "Principles of High Quality Teacher Development"
attempts to " re-establish the role of the teacher as a professional
who is central to the teaching/learning process" (Bernard-Powers, et al.,
p. 2). Bernard-Powers et al. state, "Fundamental is the idea that
adults are learners just as are children, and that everyone learns best when
there are ongoing opportunities to develop questions, investigate, reflect,
apply and share knowledge in real-life contexts" (p. 4).

Also, more time and money are being spent on professional development. (For
a detailed appendix of selected major state funding programs for teacher professional
development, compiled in 1999, see "Selected
Major State Funding Programs for Teacher Professional Development".)
In addition, an increase in the number of online courses offers teachers flexibility
of time and place to pursue learning. (For an in-depth look at the scope of
research emerging on this topic, see NCREL's
E-Learning Knowledge Base.) Further, district and state learning
plans mandate that teachers continue learning. However, despite such support
and mandates, there are indications that teachers are not taking full advantage
of learning opportunities.

This raises a dilemma: On one hand, few would disagree that the vast majority
of teachers are responsible, that they take charge and that they are self-regulated.
Most possess those traits inherent to all independent learners. However, perhaps
some rethinking of these traditional traits is required, in light of a trend
toward expanded communities of learning in which teachers find themselves members.
What does it mean to be responsible, to take charge, and to be self-regulated
in today's learning environment?

The New Learning Organization

Independent or self-directed learning can be defined as "a process in
which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of others"
(Knowles, 1975, p. 11), to diagnose their learning needs, formulate learning
goals, identify resources for learning, select and implement learning strategies,
and evaluate learning outcomes. Ideally, citizens of a learning community are
such individuals.

Before we can fully examine this element of teachers as independent learners,
some groundwork must be established about learning. In a 1995 interview, Peter
Senge, director of the Center for Organization Learning at MIT's Sloan School
of Management, was asked the following question: "Schools are considered
to be institutions of learning, but are most of them learning organizations?"
He answered, "Definitely not." He also expressed his concern that
"there's very little sense of collective learning going on in most schools"
(O'Neil, 1995, p. 20). (See "On Schools as Learning Organizations: A Conversation with Peter Senge".)

If the ideal is a school in which collective learning takes place, how do schools
move toward this goal, and how does the individual teacher add to this community?

The classroom setting offers context. Teachers know that the classroom learning
environment changes for better or worse depending on the group of students in
any given year. Years when there are more challenging students and less motivated
learners in a classroom make for greater frustration for the teacher. Years
when a majority of the students are enthusiastic and responsible are remembered
as good years. Teachers report getting more done in the curriculum, more hands-on
activities occur, and more learning takes place during years with self-directed
learners in a classroom. During these school years, a classroom learning community
is created. Extend that dynamic to the outer walls of the building and beyond,
into the community. Imagine teachers as enthusiastic, responsible, take-charge,
and self-regulated members.

Creating a learning organization mirrors creating one in a classroom and it requires
teachers reading professional material, attending classes, enrolling in online
courses, reflecting on what they need to understand to become better teachers.
Money for professional development is not always available, and mandates for
professional development are not always sufficient motivators. Each teacher
must become an independent learner and thinker. This is the vital first step
toward growing a learning organization in every school.

Marsick and Watkins' (1999) Model of the Learning Organization outlines three
levels of interrelated learning: individual learning, team learning, and organization
learning. This Critical Issue supports the idea of individual learning as the
first step toward building well-rounded learning organizations.

The authors constructed their model around the following seven action imperatives
that are needed to implement learning organizations:

Create continuous learning opportunities.

Promote inquiry and dialogue.

Encourage collaboration and team learning.

Create systems to capture and share learning.

Empower people toward collective vision.

Connect the organization to its environment.

Provide strategic leadership for learning. (p.80)

The first two of these action imperatives are crucial for individual
learning to occur. There must be continuous learning opportunities, and inquiry
and dialogue must be promoted (Watkins and Marsick, 1999, p.85).

Many teachers do indeed have continuous learning opportunities. For instance,
they can take an online course. They can learn a new computer software program
that will benefit their students or themselves. They can take a workshop, then
practice and reflect upon results. Both Educational Service and Teacher Learning
centers distribute comprehensive catalogs of educational choices.

Once teachers choose independent learning, they want to share the excitement
with others. Typically learners want to discuss what they have learned, give
opinions, and debate. Through discussion, they begin to promote inquiry and
dialoguethe authors' second imperative is crucial for individual learning.

As teachers assume responsibility for their own learning, they want to share
this knowledge with colleagues. The need for dialogue introduces the third imperative
of encouraging collaboration and team learning. The Team Level of learning sets
the stage for the Organizational Level of the Learning Organization. The connectivity
is clear: A powerful learning organization begins when a single teacher becomes
an independent learner. But the goal is not without challenges.

Digesting (making sense of what has been learned; getting a grip on it).

At their own pace.

At times and places of their own choosing.

Often with other people around, especially fellow-learners.

When they feel in control of their learning. (p. 50)

If this is true, teachers, like adults in the study, would learn best as independent
learners. However, this may require overcoming some learned behaviors.

Not only do we teach the way we were taught but we usually learn the way we
were taught to learn. Many current teachers didn't have the opportunity to learn
in an independent environment during their preservice education. In kindergarten,
they might have been encouraged to freely explore at the sand table and in graduate
school they likely were encouraged to freely explore a potential thesis; but
the majority of their education was teacher-directed. Many simply weren't taught
the teaching and modeling skills needed for independent learning.

Herber and Nelson-Herber (1987) offer the following five teaching principles
for creating students who are independent lifelong learners:

Modeling and practicing learning skills

Transfer of responsibility from teacher to learner

Knowledge and understanding of students

Collaborative instructional techniques

Support and encouragement to students (p. 585)

Perhaps the greatest challenge of independent learning for many teachers is
overcoming their teacher-directed learning and replacing it with a dedication
to self-learning.

It is especially challenging for adult learners who have not been give the
responsibility and the expectations for their own transformation and professional
development. It is especially challenging for adult learners who have been taught
to rivet their focus squarely on student learning. Teachers require
opportunities to examine their own learning experiences and reflect on them.
They require support to model independent learning skills in order to incorporate
such practice into their own learning as well as their teaching methods.

Motivation

Educators, like the rest of the population, are motivated to better themselves
for various reasons. In common, however, educators are motivated to better their
students. According to The National Foundation for the Improvement of Education
(NFIE) report Teachers
Take Charge of Their Learning: Transforming Professional Development for Student
Success (Renyi, 1996), 73 percent of 800 teachers surveyed engaged
in professional growth to improve student achievement. Improving teaching
skills was a motive for 55 percent of teachers, and increasing their
own knowledge was the motive fueling 34 percent of teachers' professional
growth. Clearly, most teachers want to improve their practice to improve their
students' learning.

Teachers have greater sense of purpose and motivation when encouraging administrators
and enthusiastic colleagues surround them. And, research indicates, they are
more highly motivated by the chance to improve student achievement than any
other consideration.

The importance of teacher learning can't be overemphasized, and teachers can
incorporate this connection into their rethinking of their own motivation as
independent learners. The connection between ongoing teacher learning and school
quality has been significantly researched. Findings indicate that teacher learning
is essential to quality schools and there is a strong connection between student
results and staff from learning communities (Hord, 1997). If teacher learning
is essential to quality of schools, it becomes essential for the individual
teacher to independently learn for their own professional practice. Although
many teachers have assumed this responsibility, more schools would be true learning
communities if the number were higher. As Fullan (1993) states, "Every
person is a change agent" in quality education (p. 24).

In addition, the future learning organization suggests benefit to teachers
who rethink other motivations. Traditionally, self-motivation focused on attainable
goals within classroom, school, and community, such as improving student performance,
acquiring tenure, and achieving professional recognition. The learning organization
of the future also will involve the teacher in discussion and learning about
changing perceptions of what it means to be a teacher: What innate strengths
might they leverage in new ways? What factors perhaps no longer fuel their motivation?
This rethinking is personal. It is individual. It requires a commitment to independent
learning.

Pedagogy

If teachers see learners as the "empty vessel" to be filled with
knowledge, how does this affect both their teaching and their professional learning?
Teachers who believe the teacher must impart knowledge would find it difficult
to independently learn without the direction of authority. Such a stance makes
it difficult to transfer responsibility from teacher to learner. In contrast,
teachers who believe in a constuctivist approach to learning are more comfortable
with self-direction and independent learning.

In Constructivism, the learner creates understanding from experiences with
peers and resources and reflects upon those experiences. Learning occurs because
the learner actively engages in finding solutions to relevant questions or problems.
Students are viewed as thinkers and are given the opportunity to take responsibility
for their own learning.

In the online journal From Now
On, editor Jamieson McKenzie (1991) captures a number of current research-based
ideas on staff development in the learning organization of the future. He posits
the following "must haves" for effective staff development during
the next decade:

Offer immersion and transformation.

Inspire teachers to invent.

Be experience-based, with learning resulting from doing and exploring.

Hook the curiosity, wonder, or passion of teachers.

Respond to teachers' appetites, concerns, and interests.

Consider the feelings, fears, and anxieties of the learner.

Engage the perspective of teachers.

Appeal to learners at a variety of developmental stages.

Be properly funded. (Staff Development for the Information Age section, bullets 1-9)

Few would argue against expanding and funding professional development. However,
teachers also need to take the initiative for their own learning by creating
individual learning plans and goals. This will require some rethinking about
their traditional responsibilities.

Traditionally, a teacher's responsibility was based in large measure on ownership
of a body of knowledge. It was one basic element on which professional development
was directed. In the future learning organization, a teacher's responsibility
will be based on knowledge, as well as sharing and building knowledge
among groups of stakeholders in and outside the classroom walls. Rather than
dispensing knowledge, teachers will guide, facilitate, and mentor learnerscalling
into play the elements of independent learning.

Traditionally, a teacher's take-charge approach was very much a necessity based
on the need of solo governance in the classroom. While that trait continues,
a teacher's ability to take charge also will be based on expanding learning
beyond classroom walls, interacting cooperatively, even globally.

Find time for continuous professional development. To keep up with change,
teachers need the time to collaborate with their colleagues and to update
their knowledge and skillsas
professionals in other fields are required to do.

Help teachers assume responsibility for their own professional development
and for ensuring teacher quality.

Reallocate existing and appropriate new revenues sufficient to guarantee
standards-referenced, quality teaching and learning in every public school.
(p.1)

In order for teachers to take responsibility for their learning, they need
effective professional development that allows them to reflect, re-examine,
redefine, and renew their innate responsibility, their self-reliance and self-motivation
as independent learners, and as productive citizens of engaged learning communities.

Technology Tools

Technology has introduced a new dimension to self-learning and independent
study via online learning. Some teachers have embraced the opportunities. Others
have shown reluctance. (To learn more about engaging technology in professional
development plans, see Using Technology
in PD.)

Enthusiastic teachers Lynn Nakashima and Sandy Winter are two who recently
embraced the online opportunity to learn at their own pace and time. Both teachers
from Glenside Middle School in Hanover Park, Illinois, participated in an online
Internet Information Literacy course from the Illinois Math and Science Academy
in Aurora, Illinois. Completion of the class earned the participants three hours
of university credit. In an interview with Pathways, both teachers
reported they received much more than credits from the experience.

They collaborated to create an Internet Information unit they will use with
their students. Both teachers corresponded with the course teacher and participants
via e-mail, while collaborating as a learning team in their own school.

"The online class allowed us to construct our own learning. We researched,
experimented, and created a useful product," Nakashima said, adding, "One
must be extremely self-disciplined to complete an online course. We had specific
assignments and a general time frame of how long each assignment should take.
It allowed students [ourselves] to work at our own pace, though there were specific
assignments due at specific dates" (L. Nakashima, personal communication,
September, 2001).

In addition, some adults, while capable of engaging in self-directed learning,
choose not to, due to time constraints (see Pathways to School Improvement'sCritical
Issue: "Finding Time for Professional Development"). Educators
generally agree that the greatest challenge to implementing effective professional
development is lack of time (Abdal-Haqq, 1995). The time-saving benefits online
learning offers are considerable and hold promise for delivering professional
development, provided other relevant supports for independent learning are in
place.

Among those relevant supports is a sense of control and a sense of community.
While it is important to emphasize the importance of independent learning for
teachers, it is also important to emphasize that they must never go it alone.
Teachers also need to have input into staff development throughout the school
year and build on that learning through self-directed study.

And, while technology has created opportunity for adults to learn anytime and
anyplace, this is sometimes an opportunity not taken. In 1998, the DuPage Regional
Office of Education (ROE) initiated a Link to Learn CD-ROM and offered
it to all schools in the Chicago suburban region. This was a CD-ROM based on
the Pennsylvania State University and State of Pennsylvania's initiative to
provide teachers in their state a resource for learning technology. The CD-ROM
contained technology tutorials, case studies of teachers at different stages
of implementing technology into their curriculum, and lesson plans using technology.

Schools in DuPage County contacted ROE to not only receive a CD-ROM for each
individual teacher in the school but to also have two ROE consultants present
the CD-ROM to the staff and answer any questions. A half-hour overview of the
material was presented along with suggestions on using the CD-ROM. Teachers
left the training with an individual copy for their own exploration and use.

When consultants contacted schools for feedback on usage, they learned that
87 percent of middle school teachers surveyed from one sample school did not
explore the CD-ROM. Lack of time and need for guided instruction were the reasons
given for not exploring the resource (Buchler & Buller, 1998).

Conversely, however, technology is one area where teachers are often self-taught
or take a course to learn new skills. Linda Hart, an early childhood special
education teacher in the Manitowoc Public School District, Manitowoc, Wisconsin,
recently completed her first instructional technology class. She reported, "In
the past, I have not used much technology with the children in the classroom,
as I always struggle with what is appropriate with preschoolers and their special
needs. This class has opened a whole new world for me of exciting possibilities
to enhance instruction in the classroom" (L. Hart, personal communication,
August, 2001).

Learning should be about "exciting possibilities" for both the teacher
and the students. For example, Linda plans to use her new understanding of technology
to track childrens' goals on a handheld (PDApersonal digital assistant),
plan better ways to use software programs, and seek out what her district currently
uses in older grades. She has indeed become an independent learner.

Conclusion
It is essential that teachers provide opportunities to students. It is also
essential that we make opportunities for our own learning. Individual educators
make the choice each time they read a professional book, take a course to benefit
our teaching, and dialogue with colleagues on education topics. Following are
several action options in which administrators, teachers, parents, and students
can engage to fuel lifelong learning and grow independent learning organizations.

GOALS:

Professional development curriculum addresses the skills and knowledge needed
for developing independent learners.

Professional development assessment helps determine teacher learners' strengths
and needs, and provides guidance to teachers on how successful their own learning
is to helping their students learn.

Teachers commit themselves to becoming independent learners.

Teachers, administrators, parents, and community members are involved as
active participants in lifelong learning activities and the creation of a
vital learning community.

Collegial learning, dialogue, team building, and knowledge sharing are woven
into the school culture.

Action research on interests that emerge in the classroom is encouraged.

Alternatives to time constraints are attempted and incorporated when effective.

All learners are rewarded for their efforts toward independent learning.

ACTION
OPTIONS:

Administrators, teachers, and community members can follow the action options
listed below to build a learning community in their school.

Administrators:

Create study groups within the school to encourage professional dialogue
on teaching strategies and issues. Encourage collegial learning, and give
your teachers the opportunity to share with the whole group. Suggest that
teachers go in teams to workshops or courses and return to teach mini-classes
to others.

Help teachers locate local or online resources that would support individual
interests and connect with professional needs. Share curriculum-related Web
sites. Then discuss how Web sites were used in the classroom.

Encourage teachers to set learning goals for themselves. If your state does
not mandate Individual Learning Plans, suggest teachers set individual goals
themselves for professional learning.

Help learners develop positive attitudes and motivation for independent
learning in an atmosphere of openness and trust. Encourage teachers to present
at conferences and give mini-presentations at staff meetings.

Be a writer and/or participate as a member of a writing team. Submit articles
to professional journals or online educational Web sites.

Share articles from professional journals or educational Web sites with
other teachers.

Reward learners through recognition or reward for their efforts. Some schools
have the budget and philosophy to reimburse teachers for learning but learning
need not be limited to rewards. Informally, sharing professional learning
for a few minutes at staff meetings can motivate others.

Join and create study groups within the school or district to discuss teaching
strategies and issues. Share your learning with colleagues. Go in teams to
workshops or courses and return to teach mini-classes to others.

Find a partner on your staff or grade level who is interested in professional
learning and get together to share information.

Find local or online resources that will support individual interests and
connect with professional needs. Share curriculum-related Web sites. Then
discuss how Web sites are used in the classroom.

Set learning goals for yourself. If your state does not mandate Individual
Learning Plans, set individual goals for professional learning. Not every
teacher has the desire to complete the national certification process, but
all teachers can set learning goals for themselves and then spend 15 minutes
a day working toward those goals. In Pathways to School Improvement'sCritical
Issue "Realizing New Learning for All Students Through Professional
Development" (Cook & Fine, 1996), it is suggested that teachers
can "demonstrate personal standards of excellence so that students are
learning from the best." (Action Option section, Teachers ¶, 4th
bullet)

Help other learners in your school develop positive attitudes and motivation
for independent learning in an atmosphere of openness and trust. Present at
conferences and give mini presentations at staff meetings.

Share articles from professional journals or educational Web sites with
other teachers.

Submit findings from action research to journals or online educational Web
sites.

Write a summary after attending a workshop or taking a course, and submit
it to your administrator and board members.

Inform parents and students when you have taken a course or workshop to
briefly tell them what you have learned and how it relates to student learning.

See yourself as a learner.

Parents and Community Members:

Know and understand what teachers are doing during a staff development day.

Be supportive of staff development days with other community. Community
support is essential for providing professional development opportunities.
If the community sees the value in teacher learning, time for professional
development is more likely to be scheduled (see Pathways to School Improvement'sCritical
Issue: "Finding Time for Professional Development").

Become involved with parent teacher organizations and listen for information
on staff development and teacher learning.

Participate in district classes if they are offered to the community.

Attend school board meetings to hear about professional learning throughout
the district.

Encourage incentives for teachers to take graduate-level courses that relate
to their professional experience.

IMPLEMENTATION
PITFALLS:

In some schools, sharing of knowledge is viewed as a threat. Teachers remain
in their classrooms, isolated from collegial sharing. Teachers can only share
their professional knowledge in an open and trusting environment. They need
to feel they can enthusiastically say "Look what I learned on the computer!"
or "Listen to what I read in this journal" and feel open to sharing
the information with other teachers.

Sharing takes time. Time needs to be devoted to professional sharing or books,
courses, and resources. This sharing time needs to be honored time at staff
meetings or grade-level meetings. When administrators do not encourage and honor
this time, sharing is viewed as unimportant.

Some educators believe they spend enough time in the classroom and aren't interested
in taking courses or reading professional literature. Some school districts
discourage professional conferences and school visits, thinking it will take
time out of the classroom and away from their teaching. However, teachers need
to be treated as professionals and encouraged to learn and reflect to benefit
learning in their classroom. Just as a learner contributes to the learning environment
in the classroom, each learner contributes to the environment of the learning
community.

Additionally, research indicates that some adults are incapable of engaging
in time-saving approaches to professional development, such as online courses,
because they lack independence, confidence, or resources (Lowry, 1989). Although
Internet access makes resources more available, independence, confidence, and
discipline remain a challenge to creating vital learning communities of independent
learners.

DIFFERENT
POINTS OF VIEW:

In every profession, there are some who feel they will do the minimum required;
however, teaching is a unique profession. Most teachers have chosen the profession
to make a difference and add value to society, and few dispute the need for
ongoing independent learning. However, a minority of teachers believe they should
be compensated for any and all learning connected with their practice. Indeed,
teachers should be compensated for workshops, courses, and time invested outside
the classroom; however, they also need to make a professional commitment to
individual learning goals.

ILLUSTRATIVE CASES:

Study Groups
Cheryl Meredith Lowry's (1989) article "Supporting
and Facilitating Self-Directed Learning" summarizes points made by
several writers concerning best facilitation of self-directed learning for educators
and institutions. Recurrent among suggestions is the implementation of study
groups. Some principals have successfully involved their staffs with book groups
to begin such dialogue on professional topics.

For instance, St. Charles, Illinois, District 303 initially used book groups
as part of a professional portfolio. The groups are open to tenure and nontenure
teachers and they meet for approximately 10 hours a session. Robin Horberg,
currently principal at Ferson Creek Elementary in St. Charles, uses study groups
here following the success of similar initiatives at her previous tenure at
Puffer School in Downers Grove, Illinois. There she initiated two different
types of study groups. One was a directed situation for teacher learning, during
which the entire staff was given a book to read to increase common language
and understanding. Robin selected In Search of Understanding: The Case for
Constructivist Classroom (Brooks & Brooks, 1993). The second group
selected a topic and found other teachers who were interested in the same study
topic. The groups varied in their dedication and commitment to the topic study.
However, after reading and studying a shared topic, Horberg reported the following
benefits to study groups in both schools:

Creation of a common language.

Decrease in teacher isolation.

Increase in discussion of teaching and learning as it relates to reality
and what is occurring in the classroom.

Improved teaching and learning for teachers and students.

Positive staff relationships.

The teachers' return to learning allows them to understand and relate to
the learners in the classroom.

National Board of Professional Teaching
Standards
An increasing number of teachers are dedicated to their own independent learning.
According to the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, the number
of teachers taking the National Board Certification test has increased 35 percent
from November 30, 2000, to November 30, 2001. Candidates going through the national
certification process spend approximately 200400 hours developing their
professional portfolio.

First-grade teacher Debbie Sauer, Congdon Park School, Duluth, Minnesota, is
one who believes National Board Certification is a natural step for her professional
development. Her school district has a contract step called "master's equivalent,"
in which teachers substitute the appropriate number of college and district
inservices for a Master's degree, and receive the same pay. Teachers are encouraged
to take courses that add value to their classroom and professional practice.
Debbie was the first person in her district to attempt the challenging process
of national certification.

In an interview with Pathways (personal communication, October, 2001)
following her experience, she said, "I made new efforts at building a classroom
community, in order to meet portfolio requirements, and found my children and
I knowing each other more deeply, connecting more easily, and having fewer behavior
problems than ever.

"Even if financial incentives had been part of my motivation, this process
would have soon established its own value for me. Many teachers in states with
high financial rewards report that money alone does not sustain motivation through
this process. Reflection, improvement, and self-growth become the most important
rewards."

When asked whether she believed teachers are taking responsibility for their
own learning, she mirrored that attitude of many members of evolving learning
communities. She said, "At least 16,000 National Board Certified Teachers
(NBCTs) and that many new candidates are [taking responsibility for their own
learning]. And the number of NBCTs willing to mentor new candidates, both online
and in local groups, indicates that as a group we continue to learn and encourage
othersthis process never seems to end."